1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system powered by waves to generate energy, and more particularly, to generate hydraulic energy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several designs for harnessing and generating energy from the ocean waves have been designed in the past. A summary of past developments has been documented in Misha Cornes' article Ocean Wave energy Conversion: The Next Wave in Renewable Energy?-http://www.bfi.org/Trimtab/summer01/ocean. None of them, however, includes a housing assembly that protects the system that is cooperatively adapted to receive concentrated waves that are substantially contiguous over a predetermined range of waves. It is desirable to receive contiguous waves rather than sudden large waves for several reasons, including the optimization of the equipment design. The desirability of achieving this resonance between the waves and the system capturing their movement is documented in Richard J. Seymour, Ocean Energy Recovery, The State of the Art, American Society o Civil Engineers. Theoretical analyses of wave energy conversion have demonstrated how a unit absorbs energy from ocean waves. The important feature is that in response to incident waves, the apparatus or system generates waves to cancel the passing and/or reflected waves. The analyses also indicate that for maximum power conversion, the velocity should be in phase with the exciting force; this condition occurs when the system is in resonance. However, if the devices are in resonance, the stress on the components will force the designer to overdesign the system to protect the former. There have been many instances where the devices have been damaged. These authorities, thus, teach away from the present invention where the approach is to avoid resonance.
Applicant believes that a related reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 2,848,189 issued to John A. Caloia on Aug. 19, 1958 for an apparatus for producing power from water waves. Caolia claims that his apparatus works with small as well as large waves. However, it differs from the present invention because it requires levers 16 of varying lengths to reach a given range of waves.
Applicant believes that another related reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,429 issued to Frank Buonome on Jun. 12, 1984 for a method of converting ocean wave action into electrical energy using a number of floats that are in a parallel disposition with respect to each other. However, it differs from the present invention because the floats are not protected and they will be exposed to substantially the same waves simultaneously rather than a continuous movement of waves.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.